Malinga considering coaching as he ponders end of playing days

Lasith Malinga concedes his playing days may be numbered but the veteran seamer has designs on moving into coaching when he hangs up his spikes.

The 34-year-old made his Sri Lanka debut in 2004, and has gone on to play over 300 times for his country across all three formats.

Malinga has developed into a limited-overs specialist, last playing a Test in 2010, but in December he was left out of Sri Lanka's Twenty20 squad to face India, and there was no place for him in the recent tri-nation series in Bangladesh.

With the 2019 World Cup on the horizon, Malinga had hoped to use this year's Indian Premier League as a springboard to return to the international fold, but he went unsold in last month's auction.

"I'm not sure to what extent I'll be able to carry on playing in the future," Malinga told ESPNcricinfo.

"Right now I am thinking of playing in the domestic one-day tournaments to see what my injuries are like. But I haven't made a decision on anything.

"I've learned a lot about cricket and bowling through my career, so it would be great to have the opportunity to pass that knowledge on to a younger group of players. I've already been able to do that a little with Jasprit Bumrah at the IPL.

"If the Sri Lankan team wants me, I think it would be great if I could help the next generation of Sri Lankan bowlers also.

"I don't know how my injuries will hold up, and whether I will be picked for the next World Cup. But if I can go as a consultant even, that would be a joy for me."